IDEALISM (Throw Away Living, Life Magazine, 1955) REALITY NORTH NORTH PACIFIC ATLANTIC

INDIAN OCEAN SOUTH ATLANTIC SOUTH PACIFIC

WESTERN NPG EXPEDITION 2012 – Majuro Atoll to Tokyo, Japan

Courtesy of Hank Carson, UH Hilo, Hawaii

IN 20 hrs of timed observations we saw 151 pieces

Courtesy of Hank Carson, UH Hilo, Hawaii

DISTRIBUTION OF DEBRIS BY CATEGORY

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF PLASTIC POLLUTION North Pacific Gyre N. Atlantic Gyre NORTH NORTH PACIFIC ATLANTIC

Indian Ocean Gyre South Pacific Gyre S. Atlantic Gyre

INDIAN OCEAN SOUTH ATLANTIC SOUTH PACIFIC

Plastic Pollution Accumulation Zones (Lebreton et al., Mar. Pol. Bul., 2012)

North Atlantic Gyre North Atlantic Gyre North Atlantic Gyre - Mats of sargassum trap plastic

North Atlantic Gyre North Pacific Gyre – 2008 North Pacific Gyre

North Pacific Gyre

14,817,185km2

Indian Ocean Gyre Indian Ocean Gyre South Atlantic Gyre South Atlantic Gyre South Pacific Gyre

South Pacific Gyre SOUTH PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH HOTSPOT HOTSPOT HOTSPOT

NORTH NORTH PACIFIC ATLANTIC

INDIAN OCEAN SOUTH ATLANTIC SOUTH PACIFIC

GARBAGE PATCHES AND HOTSPOTS

FATE OF PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT 1-2.79 mm particles greater than all smaller sizes?

SOUTH PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH LIMITATIONS OF METHODS & VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF PLASTIC UV DEGRADATION & EMBRITTLEMENT www.sea.edu Courtesy of SEA Education Association – Woods Hole, MA 6000 surface tows in the North Atlantic spanning 22 years 4 x 10 3.5 Trend: 117 ± 196 pieces km-2 year-1 ) -2 r2 = 0.016, P > 0.1 3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5 Average plastic concentration (pieces km km (pieces concentration plastic Average 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Year

www.sea.edu Courtesy of SEA Education Association – Woods Hole, MA No significant increase in 22 years WASHED ASHORE - Azores, North Atlantic WASHED ASHORE - Easter Island, South Pacific DOES INGESTION, ENTANGLEMENT, BIOMASS = NEGATIVE BUOYANCY MICOBIAL DECOMPOSITION AT SEA SUMMARY OF THE PROBLEM OF PLASTIC POLLUTION GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION, INGESTION, VECTOR FOR POPs LITTER AND DESIGN PROBLEM

WASTE MANAGEMENT PROBLEM YAMUNA RIVER – New Delhi, India

Plastic Pollution is a Petroleum Spill

But unlike most oil spills, Plastic Pollution is: Non-biodegradable Occurs in international waters No corporate responsibility FOCUS ON SOLUTIONS TO PLASTIC POLLUTION

THE HONEST BROKER Bring Your Own

School recycling Pyrolosis

Biopolymers

Biopolymers

Voluntary EPR Structural Controls

Bad design obsolete

Plasma Gasification

MAY 24, 2012 LOS ANGELES BANS PLASTIC BAGS

Thanks to: Clean Seas Coalition Heal the Bay Environment California ….and many others. LOW TECH, LOW COST, LOW TEMP, SAFE, ECONOMIC INCENTIVE NEXT STEPS FOR 5 GYRES TSUNAMI DEBRIS FIELD EXPEDITION • Type and abundance of debris

• Rafting communities of marine organisms

• Population density of Halobates

• POPs in ambient seawater/plastic

• DNA of microbes on plastic/seawater

RESEARCH GOALS OF TSUNAMI DEBRIS FIELD EXPEDITION GREAT LAKES EXPEDITION, Summer 2012 Bay of Bengal

BAY OF BENGAL HOT SPOT, 2013 INSPIRE AMBASSADORS FOR OCEAN CONSERVATION CITIZEN SCIENTIST – TRAVEL TRAWL LOAN PROGRAM TRAVELING EXHIBIT 2013

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